Prof. Matthias Harders

University of Innsbruck

Haptic Mixed Reality - Exploring Applications in Surgical Simulation

Zusammenfassung

In haptic mixed reality, touch feedback of the real environment is merged with
virtual haptic stimuli, thus altering the haptic perception of objects. In our research, we
explore the feasibility of using this paradigm for medical training systems. In this talk, an
overview of the technique will be provided as well as application scenarios be outlined. In
earlier work, we had explored the use of such haptic augmentation in the context of tissue
palpation. More recently, we focused on the modification of surgical instruments, to provide
augmentation during interaction with mock-up anatomical models; specifically, a prototype
system of a modified surgical bone drill has been developed. The setup is capable of
providing different stiffness augmentations, representing varying bone densities, based on
twisted-string actuation.

Vortragender

Matthias Harders studied Computer Science with focus on Medical Informatics
at the University of Hildesheim, Technical University Braunschweig, and University of
Houston, TX, till 1999. He completed his PhD in 2003 at ETH Zurich, where he also
obtained his habilitation in 2007, in the area "Virtual Reality in Medicine". He worked at ETH
until 2012, with short research visits in the USA, Japan, and Australia. Following a position
as Reader at the University of Sheffield, UK, he became a full professor in 2014 at the
University of Innsbruck, where he leads the Interactive Graphics and Simulation group. He
is a co-founder of the IEEE Technical Committee on Haptics, the EuroHaptics Society, and
the IEEE Transactions on Haptics. In 2008 he co-founded the spin-off company VirtaMed,
which develops medical training systems. His current research focus is on computer
haptics, virtual/augmented reality, and physically-based simulation.